David and Jesi

Dear Launi,

First I want to thank you for teaching David and I about HypnoBirthing. I had an amazing birthing experience and I’ve told everyone I know about how wonderful the HypnoBirthing method is. I was worried coming up to my due date because I felt that David and I hadn’t practiced enough. We were so busy with school and work it was hard to fit in time to practice deep relaxation, but I listened to the CD when I went to bed at night and that helped.

Kai arrived two weeks earlier than my due date, but it was perfect timing for everyone in the family. We had just been to the hospital Friday night because I was having contractions, but it was just practice labor. The next day, Saturday, we decided we really needed to get the nursery set up; we still needed bedding for the crib and other things. I started having contractions in the late afternoon, but I still went about sorting clothes and shopping for baby items we still didn’t have at home. I was walking around Babies ‘r’ us and I had to sit down every 5 minutes while I had a contraction, but it was manageable. We even had guests over that night and I sat in my chair and just relaxed every time I felt a contraction start. I didn’t sleep at all that night. I was able to relax when I had a contraction, but my body knew it was happening and I was too excited to sleep. When David woke up the next morning he was still hesitant to go to the hospital, we didn’t want to go in again for a false alarm. At 11am the contractions started coming harder and more frequently and I knew it was different and I felt like I was ready to go. We got to the hospital a little before noon. I walked around the room for a while and just sat down whenever I needed a rest. His parents came by and brought us some food and then my brother and his wife came. She is a nurse and he is pre-med so they stayed with me to help. I had to be hooked to an IV, but it was just for the Strep B test (I think that’s what it’s called) and I was alright with it, although I preferred mobility. I was still able to pace and to sit on the birthing ball. The birthing ball is the BEST ever! It relieved so much of the pressure and it helped relax my pelvis as I relaxed my mind.

I will be honest Launi, I didn’t know whether to believe you when you said there would be no pain, but I believe you now. I think that so much about birth has to do with the mindset of the woman. I went to your class ignorant and scared. I left your class with knowledge and confidence. I knew that my body could do this and I knew that I could do it. I was so excited for the moment when I would bring my son into the world. After about 4 hours of labor I was still dilated to a 4 but I was effaced almost completely. I sat on the ball again and the contractions started coming constantly, almost with no time to breathe in between. David, my brother and his wife supported me on the ball and applied counter pressure to my back. (I personally believe that counter pressure is better than any drug!) When they checked me after an hour of these labors I was at a 9 and everyone started getting busy. The nurses called the doctor and the excitement in the room increased.

I spent the next half hour sitting on the bed. David and my sister-in-law held my legs bent while my brother supported my back. I tried to focus on breathing like I had been doing. I felt like I had done so well considering how little I had practiced. My doctor came in and we were ready to go. I was so pleased by how patient Dr. Berry was. He was very encouraging and just seemed so happy to be there to witness the birth of my child. He didn’t make me feel rushed and he didn’t try to hurry things along at all. When Kai was at the crowing point one of the nurses was saying “Push” while I was trying to breathe down. With my mind in the relaxed state it was easily persuaded by what she was saying and I pushed a couple times because the pressure on my pelvic bone was so great and so similar to having a large bowel movement. However, pushing didn’t help Kai come out any faster and it just made me tired. When I stopped pushing and just breathed that’s when Kai’s head completely came out followed by the rest of his body. Dr. Berry immediately placed my son on my abdomen and I held on as tight as I could because the baby was so slippery. After that it gets a little fuzzy because I was so full of joy to finally have my son in my arms. David was kissing me and touching Kai and stroking him. I think a nurse tried to clean him up while I held him. My brother kept complimenting me on how well I did. The after birth was hardly noticeable and Dr. Berry left it attached until the cord was completely white then he clamped it and David was able to cut the cord, he was very excited about it. I did have a very small tear that Dr. Berry stitched up with no problem. I started shaking so I gave David our son and he went with the nurse to weigh him and everything while I was given clean sheets and warm blankets. Everything after that was just permeated with joy.

I had a lot of compliments from nurses and family members about how alert Kai was from the very beginning. His eyes were open and he was so aware of the new world he had been born into. I also had compliments about how energetic I seemed to be after giving birth and I moved around so well. I think a lot of that was the adrenaline rush I got right after giving birth. David told me later that while I was in labor there were a lot of nurses that came in and out of the room to watch me because they had never seen anyone do it naturally or use the birthing ball before. My doctor came by the next day to congratulate me and he told me I did amazingly well and he was impressed by how strong I was. I attribute it all to what I learned in your class. I felt so prepared and so confident.

David was so helpful through birth and afterwards. He was so amazing and still is, especially when he’s holding Kai, they just love each other. Nursing took a while to get used to, but I’m so glad I’m doing it for Kai and for myself. Two weeks after he was born I went back to coaching my basketball team and six weeks after I was playing with the girls. I still feel like I have some post-pregnancy weight to lose, but I feel great. David and I still use deep relaxation for when we feel stressed or over worked. Kai is such a blessing in our lives and I’m so happy that his birth was such a positive experience.

Thank you so much! Thank you for teaching us and answering our questions and helping to prepare us for this miraculous new challenge of life! My older sister who has had two children couldn’t believe that I was able to do it without drugs and my mom was also shocked. I let my sister borrow the book and I keep answering all their questions. I think that each woman has an individual birthing experience and that it’s different with each child, but I’m glad that mine included the HypnoBirthing method. Thank you again! I hope your classes are going well. Take care!